PC Critic Reviews

Pathologic 2 is a harsh, unwelcoming experience that took a lot out of me, but everything in it, no matter how odd or seemingly inconsequential, is setup for an eventual payoff. Players capable of embracing its dour atmosphere will be rewarded with one of gaming’s greatest narrative accomplishments — it’s an epic-length refutation of the idea that gratification can only come through success, that stories need to be about heroes, that “fun” is the only metric by which a game’s quality can be measured. Pathologic 2 is a masterpiece not in spite of its shortcomings, but because of them. There is truly nothing else like it.

Pathologic 1 & 2 are masterpieces of games as art. They are cruel and disturbing, but ask unique questions and do things you won’t see anywhere else. These are singularly unique experiences that are worth suffering through.

Overall, despite some smaller issues that are being patched out as we speak, Pathologic 2 retains the grim atmosphere of the original, putting meat on the bones of the storyline and characters, but leaving none for you. It’s a shame that the negative reviews put it at risk of obscurity, because it’s immeasurably engrossing and deserving of some serious play-time from those who like to enjoy the journey more than the end goal. You will starve, you will die, you will kill others and run away, you will feel deeply miserable and admit that all hope is gone – and at the end of it all, when you shut down your PC, a nice walk in the sun will seem all the more rewarding.

"Unbearable" is definitely one word for Pathologic 2, but that hides a few others: engulfing, ingenious, profound, invigorating. [Issue#341, p.106]

Pathologic 2 is a surrealist drama wrapped in a survival game's tattered clothes. It's frustrating and haunting all at once. It's also one of the most atmospheric games ever made.

Few games are as transportive as this, and fewer still will leave players so utterly convinced that they never want to see such a place for as long as they live.

Thanks to its extraordinary aesthetic choices and its endless variety of roleplaying approaches, combined with the depth and exquisite wickedness of survival mechanics, Pathologic 2 is confirmed as an original, atypical, dreamlike, violent and masochistic experience.

A very difficult game that can be frustrating at times, but ultimitely does keep you entertained. Worth adjusting the difficulty to make it more playable.

The gameplay of Pathologic 2 is very barebones in favor of a story pretty difficult to understand. It’s a very complex game, barely passable on the technical front, but with a great atmosphere.

Pathologic 2 is a punishing, twisted game that is burdened by some intentionally poor mechanics that, while interesting to analyse, detract from the game itself.